Much on agenda for Tri-Cities in 2014

December 27, 2013|Stephanie K. Baer, Chicago Tribune reporter

Geneva District 304 teacher Sherri Wyllie meets with her kindergarten class on a recent morning. The district is considering offering all-day kindergarten for the 2014-15 school year. (Stephanie K. Baer, Tribune photo)

Decisions about all-day kindergarten in Geneva, a countywide disabilities services tax and a new St. Charles police chief are expected in the new year, as the Tri-Cities continue to work on current development projects and plan for future ones.

All-day kindergarten?

All-day kindergarten could be offered in Geneva next school year if District 304 officials determine the costs don't outweigh the benefits of the program.

Parents spoke in favor of the program at a recent forum, but officials said they would hold off on a decision until they can evaluate the costs of offering kindergartners a full day of school. Officials expect that report to be completed by the end of January.

In 2008, the school board expressed support for full-day kindergarten, after a committee spent more than a year compiling research and interviewing other districts about the benefits. But the board ultimately decided against it because of cost concerns.

Last spring, several parents contacted board members and asked them to consider the program again. Others have voiced support for the program to prepare for an expected state mandate to provide full-day kindergarten in coming years.

Housing study due

Communities in the central Fox Valley will have another tool to help plan for a projected housing demand increase when a study is completed this spring.

An analysis by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning estimates that St. Charles will see 4,010 new households by 2040, while neighboring Geneva and Batavia could see an increase of 3,768 households and 3,573 households, respectively.

Over the last few months, representatives from the agency and the Kane County Planning Cooperative have been working with public officials and residents in St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia and North Aurora to conduct the study and help guide municipal leaders as they determine housing policy for future developments in their communities.

The study, titled "Homes for a Changing Region," is part of a larger regional research project aimed at creating a "balanced mix of housing" in the Chicago area. The agency has already completed plans for three subregional areas, according to agency officials.

Planners hope to present a full draft of recommendations in February, which will be reviewed by officials and residents before final the plans are made in May.

Tax hike on ballot

Voters in Kane County will consider a tax increase this spring that would raise about $12 million annually for developmental disabilities services.

The proposal would tax property at 0.1 percent of its assessed value, and the money would be distributed by a disability board made up of people from throughout the county that would hire agencies to support independent living, jobs, therapy, transportation and other care for those with developmental disabilities.

If passed by voters on the March 18 ballot Kane County would become the 15th county in Illinois with a disability board.

In November, members of the "Show You Care Kane" campaign filed 32,260 signatures to place the referendum on the ballot.

The average tax increase would be about $55 a year for the owner of a $182,000 house.

Liquor fees rising?

The St. Charles City Council is poised to approve a proposal at its first meeting of the new year that would establish a baseline closing time of midnight for bars and some restaurants and give liquor licensees the option of staying open later at a higher cost.

Under the proposal, liquor licensees would pay an additional $800 stay open until 1 a.m. and $2,300 for 2 a.m. A licensee who pays a base renewal fee of $1,200 would pay a total renewal fee of $3,500 to stay open until 2 a.m.

The measure is modeled after Naperville's liquor code. Throughout the fall, St. Charles' recently formed Liquor Control Commission discussed the system as a way to incentivize licensees to close earlier at night and curb public drunkenness and fighting at downtown bars.

First Street projects

St. Charles officials hope 2014 will be a good year for First Street, where two long-delayed development projects are expected to take off.

In December, the St. Charles City Council granted First Street, LLC, and SMN Development a ninth and 11th extension, respectively, on two different agreements to construct on land along the Fox River between Main and Illinois streets. At the meeting, aldermen told developers this would be the final extension on both agreements.

The projects, developers say, have been delayed over the years due to the economic downturn.